Investment in Equity Investee

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]

Investment in Equity Investee

Investment in Equity Investee

Consorcio de Tarjetas Dominicanas, S.A. (“CONTADO”) is the largest merchant acquirer and ATM network in the Dominican Republic. The Company uses the equity method of accounting to account for its equity interest in CONTADO. As a result of the acquisition in 2011 of CONTADO’s 19.99% equity interest, the Company calculated an excess cost of the investment in CONTADO over the amount of underlying equity in net assets of approximately $9.0 million, which was mainly attributed to customer relationships, trademark and goodwill intangibles. The Company’s excess basis allocated to amortizable assets is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lives of the appropriate intangibles. Amortization expense for each of the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 amounted to approximately $0.3 million, $0.3 million and $0.2 million, respectively, and was recorded within earnings of equity method investment in the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income. The Company recognized $0.9 million, $0.7 million and $0.6 million as equity in CONTADO’s net income, net of amortization, in the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company received $0.5 million and $0.4 million, respectively, in dividends from CONTADO. No dividends were received during 2017.

CONTADO fiscal year ends December 31 and is reported in the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income for the period subsequent to the acquisition date on a one month lag. No significant events occurred in CONTADO’s operations subsequent to November 30, 2019 that would have materially affected the Company’s reported results.